Kara Peterson, an Investment Year intern with Hannah Kusler Youth Music and Worship Coordinator, shares what God has been teaching her during her first few internship weeks.
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done…” Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come, Your will be done… this is the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray to their heavenly Father, and the vision and theme for New Hope Uganda in 2015. What does praying that prayer mean on a day-to-day basis, especially for Aunt Hannah and I as we work with worship teams, primary classes and individual piano students?
One area where we need to be praying this is within the Heart of Worship Team that I am a part of and am currently helping with during my IY placement. Are we nudging the kids in the team to really embrace Him as King of all? Because really, when we are standing up front and leading people into worship, we are leading them somewhere – and our goal is to lead them to the Throne of God, where we see His Holiness and our desperate need for His Grace. But when we get there, we often don’t realize where we are! So we pray His Kingdom come in our hearts and the hearts of each individual in the worship team so that we are able to realize why we are singing, and how we should be singing (i.e. where are our hearts?) to the King of kings.
Sometimes, teaching in the Primary school is a challenge. Sometimes, the kids are eager and willing to learn about music. They love to move their bodies to a fast beat and giggle at an opera singer. But at other times, you can see in their eyes a battle raging in their hearts; a battle between sinful nature and obedience. As we interact with these children, teach us how to pray Matthew 6:10 over these children- let His kingdom come into their hearts! Let His will be done in their lives, not our will!
And our prayer is that His kingdom will be evident in our lives- that even if we’re teaching individual piano or voice lessons, or teaching the Primary baby classes, we would be showing the kingdom of God through our actions;* whether it be a different way of thinking or doing, or even being. *
The truth of His Kingdom coming and His will being done is very freeing because our responsibility is only making sure that His kingdom is presented to these children or teenagers. We leave the rest up to God, because He’s going to work His will in their lives and hearts. We have no control over their hearts, but if we have done what God called us to do, we can trust that God will move somehow to bring His truth and His kingdom.